Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and am in the process of planning our new home. I plan on being the GC. Currently we are working with an architect to draw up our plans that my wife and I had envisioned. In the meantime we have been to home and garden shows in the Kansas City area and have visited many open houses in the area for ideas. This whole process seems overwhelming, but I know the final product will be worth it.

Currently I am trying to find out what suppliers to use. I know Home Depot and Lowe's are resources, but does anyone think its better to go to a specialty shop for material, such as tile or lighting fixtures? Also has anyone been to Lumber Liquidators in Olathe? Their products claim to carry a 50-year warranty, which seems impressive. If anyone has recommended suppliers in the area, please share.

Welcome Ben, you have come to the right place. I am just up the street from you, and complete. I am also willing to share...

As to Home Despot and sLowe's, they are home improvement warehouses, not construction suppliers. Sure they have lumber, plumbing, water heaters, etc., but they don't do anything great, and they don't cater to professionals (at least none of the professionals I know). Also their lumber is second rate compared to lumber suppliers catering to professionals; they don't have the selection of plumbing your plumbing supplier does, and lastly I found I could easily beat their prices on almost everything and their service was inferior on everything. There is no compelling reason to shop there, except convenience. Some of the suppliers I used included (and PM me through O-B Connections, and I will give you my sub and supplier list if you wish, including phone numbers of the representatives I dealt with):

1) McCray Lumber for trusses, 84 Lumber

2) Concrete came from Lone Wolf (just down the street from you in Harrisonville)

3) Plumbing from Reeves Wiedeman in Lees Summit

4) Electrical materials from various places, try BA in Lees Summit. Do you have Aquila Power?

What do you know about Builders Supply on the Kansas side? I have a friend who is having her house built by a builder who sent her there. She thought I couldn't use them because I am not a 'builder'. Have you ever been there?

I have talked with several guys at KC Building Supply, and had them quote the line of windows they manufacture. I think my sales rep only covers area on the MO side, but you can call and find out who exactly to work with.

By the way, don't assume any supplier to be off limits for owner-builders. I am yet to find one that has turned me away. I always ask about their pricing structure. Most are straightforward, and can be double-checked by getting quotes from others.

I was at KC Building Supply over the weekend, and they provided me a guide/booklet that contained contact information for over 1,200 builders, suppliers, and subcontractors in the Kansas City area.The guide is published by Kansas City Builder Association.I was in awe of all of the contacts in one booklet.This will definitely save a lot of time for those hard to find subs or suppliers.

Hello, and thank you for all the information you share online. I would love to see your sub list. We are in the build process in Smithville (Blog is Homestead). I have been able to order some of my supplies (lumber and windows) through builders accounts to get their discounts, but overall am finding prices higher than I thought they would be. I am shopping around to get the best deal, but find it had to tell what is a good deal and what is just cheap. We don’t want something that will need to be replaced in a few years.

Currently framing is underway, and I NEED to hire a roofer. I have a few questions on this. Should I be prepared (or is it more cost effective) to purchase all the roofing materials myself and then hire the labor? I am assuming so, but don't know. And don’t know where to buy roofing supplies. I have been driving through new subdivisions and getting numbers for subcontractors, but have not started quotes yet. Any suggestion???

For roofing materials, try Spec Building Supply out of Lees Summit. I did my own roofing (never doing that again) but had good bids from MRC and Premiere. A good friend of mine used Premiere and highly recommends them. It's perfectly acceptable for you to provide materials and hire the labor separately.

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